Weather Announcements and School Closing Information
Dear Parents and Guardians,
In the event severe weather or some other emergency necessitates the closing of school, the safety and welfare of all students will always be the first concern in making this decision. The biggest factor is the ability of the buses to transport students safely. Any decision to close school will be announced as early as possible via the AlertNow automated phone messaging system, as well as several local stations including WLPO 1220 AM and WQAD TV 8, and here at www.perued.net.
Early Dismissals
Once students are in school, we will rarely dismiss school early. This is because many children do not have an adult at home earlier in the day, and parents who are working or traveling may not be aware of the early dismissal in time to make arrangements for their child. While some school districts prefer to close early, our school district has virtually no rural roads and we feel strongly that changing the schedule on short notice will cause more confusion and will more likely leave children walking home or otherwise exposed to uncertain weather conditions. In the unlikely event we do dismiss early, we will activate the AlertNow messaging system with detailed information regarding dismissal.
AlertNow Information
Following are some helpful things to know about the AlertNow automated phone messaging system:
* Caller ID will display the district office's number (815-223-0486) when an announcement is delivered.
* If you are not home or do not answer your phone, AlertNow should leave a message on your answering machine or voicemail.
* If the message stops playing for any reason or if you miss the beginning of the message, press any key from 1-9 and the message will replay from the beginning.
The system will only contact the parent/guardian of the household where the child primarily resides, including your home and cell numbers. The system will not call work numbers or non-custodial parents. All numbers are dialed simultaneously.
Please know that we will always do whatever it takes to keep your children safe. We also ask that parents monitor what children wear to school in the cold weather; it is sometimes very surprising to see some children not wearing appropriate winter attire on cold days. If you have any questions, please never hesitate to contact me or your child's principal. Thank you for your assistance and please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Mark R. Cross, Superintendent
